Fighting Good Fights

Aug 10, 2013

This is a really heartwarming story from Minneapolis’ MinnPost about an Asian American community that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the national media. This young Lao-American woman is making good on a promise to her grandma in Laos, and moving back there to make it a better place. She’s going to help combat sex trafficking and empower the women who are most vulnerable to it.

Thouni Seneyakone is joining the ranks of Asian Americans changing the way that Minnesota thinks about its immigrant population. In 2011 Minnesota was represented at the Miss USA pageant by Lao-American Nitaya Panemalaythong.

In such a short time, the first generation of the Lao and Hmong communities in the Twin Cities have come a long way to create opportunities for their children and families. Despite the demise of the American Dream, these two communities are still pushing their young people forward – past the racial tension, income inequality, and prejudice they still encounter.